After nearly two decades at the helm of HARDtalk, BBC veteran Stephen Sackur is leaving the programme — and the British Broadcasting Corporation — with a mixture of sadness, frustration, and cautious optimism. In a candid interview to The Guardian, Sackur, who has hosted the globally watched interview series for 19 years, spoke openly about his disappointment over the show’s cancellation and his "unwilling" exit from the BBC.

“I don’t want to leave the BBC, because I still think I’ve got a lot to offer,” Sackur told The Guardian. “And I don’t want the programme to be closed.” Despite his attempts to change minds within the organisation, Sackur ultimately lost the battle to save HARDtalk, which aired in over 200 countries and reached millions through broadcast, podcast, and radio formats.

Sackur, 61, joined the BBC as a trainee in 1986 and built a storied career as a foreign correspondent before taking over HARDtalk in 2004. Renowned for his prosecutorial interviewing style, he grilled eminent personalities from Nancy Pelosi and Emmanuel Macron to Hugo Chávez and Meles Zenawi — and most recently former chief justice of India DY Chandrachud — often forcing guests to confront uncomfortable truths.

When news of the programme’s cancellation broke in October, Sackur didn’t hold back. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), he criticised the BBC’s decision, calling it “a depressing day” and defending HARDtalk as “a long-form interview show with only one mission – to hold to account those who all too often avoid accountability in their own countries".

THREAD:

1. PERSONAL NEWS:
Today BBC News has announced plans to close @BBCHARDtalk after 3 decades holding the world’s politicians and powerbrokers to account. This is sad news for me personally, but much more important, I think it’s depressing news for the BBC🧵

— Stephen Sackur (@stephensackur) October 15, 2024

Former Executioner To Ethiopian Strongman — Guests Sackur Can't Forget  

Reflecting on his time at HARDtalk, Stephen Sackur recalled a long list of unforgettable guests.

He recalled how Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez initially treated him with contempt, only to gradually warm up during the conversation, while Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny stood out as “the most courageous man” he had ever met.

Then there was Allen Ault, the former executioner from Georgia, whose emotional torment left a deep impression. Bill Clinton’s charisma, Sackur said, made Tony Blair seem “second division” by comparison.

But perhaps most powerful was his encounter with Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi. Sackur shared that he grasped the true impact of the interview only when he returned to Ethiopia and strangers approached him, quoting lines from it like "verses from Shakespeare". For many, he said, it was the first time they had seen Zenawi publicly held to account.

And what did he learn from nearly two decades of these high-stakes interviews?

Sackur said what he learnt most was about ego. “Human beings are hugely flawed and are desperate to cover up their flaws," he said.

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'I Feel Really, Really Cross'

In his interview to The Guardian, Sackur also voiced dismay over not hearing from the top BBC management after the show’s cancellation. 

“I feel really, really cross at incredibly dumb decisions...,” he said.

Despite the bitterness, Sackur isn’t finished. He has signed a book deal to profile courageous journalists who have risked their lives to expose the truth — individuals he considers true heroes. “I’m not a brave person,” he admitted. “...part of the reason for writing this book is that, over the years, I’ve been so blown away by journalists whose work is truly brave in a way that mine never was and never will be.”

Sackur is also open to new opportunities and has not ruled out reviving HARDtalk in any other form. “...if you need people who are steeped in international affairs, who’ve met and reported on so many of the people and places that matter…” Sackur left the thought hanging — perhaps an invitation to future collaborators.